THURSDAY, APRIL 17 2014 >>>

1. This Sunday, families all over the South Sound will participate in the tradition of searching for hundreds of hidden eggs to prevent our fair region from smelling like a rotten omelet come summer. Yup, it's Easter - bunnies toting around baskets with colorful dyed eggs and candy to hide for sugar-addled children. If the regular old egg hunt just won't satisfy, consider an early adult egg hunt on the Art Bus. The third Thursday bus tour to Tacoma galleries, businesses and venues hanging art goes bunny hop tonight, handing out bunny ears to riders and inviting them to search for eggs at each stop, all under the careful watch of tour guide Rep. Jake Fey of the 27th District. As always, there will be VIP swag bags, hugs, plenty of art and pizza provided by Puget Sound Pizza. Details can be found at tacomaartbus.com.

2. The 4th Annual TCC Diversity Film Festival rolls on with Fort McCoy, the latest from directors Kate Connor and Michael Worth, which tells the story of Frank Stirn (Eric Stoltz), a man who earns his living in WWII-era Wisconsin working as a barber for the Army at nearby Fort McCoy. Business is good - Frank caters to both American military personnel and to the Nazi POWs that are his new neighbors. Catch it at 2 and 6:30 p.m. in The Grand Cinema.

3. The Collins Memorial Library, at the University of Puget Sound, invites the public to join a lively and informative discussion on current research, unique resources and rare books that are part of the University of Puget Sound Collections. At 4 p.m. in Collins,C. Mark Smith ('61) will join four student curators to discuss the life and times of Professor Lyle "Stan" Shelmidine who taught Middle Eastern History and the creation of the Collins Library exhibit, "Stan!," featuring artifacts and documents from Shelmidine's Collection. Learn about Middle Eastern art and architecture and explore the library and life of a Puget Sound icon.

4. Doyle's Public House will combine its monthly St. Practice Day party with its eighth anniversary celebration beginning with the standard hoisting pints at 5:17 p.m. to recognize pint club achievements and welcome new members, followed by hugs, drinking and music from The Cold 102's at 8 p.m. No cover, as always. Click here for the story on how Doyle's came to be.

5. The Twang Junkies will fill The Swiss with rockin' country tunes beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: Thursday, April 17 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16 2014 >>>

1. In honor of National Poetry Month, the Olympia Poetry Network will allow local lit nerds to pay homage to their beloved late poets, as members read poems, hopefully, in full costume with accompanying props. The séance will summon Kenneth Rexroth, Adrienne Rich, May Swenson, Jane Kenyon, Denise Levertov and Frank O'Hara at 6:30 p.m. in Traditions Cafe. Those are certainly worthy poets to summon. An open mic is available for those attending to channel other dead poets. We'll give big ups to anyone who can pull off a Whitman beard, and we'd be pretty impressed to see someone show up in a full-on Emerson three-piece suit. At the very least, light a cig and say your Cummings.

2. Artist Yvette Endrijautzki presents "CONSTELLATION - an Overture to the Zodiac" featuring 40 local, national and international artists interpreting the 12 Zodiac signs via different media from noon to 6 p.m. at Tacoma's Fulcrum Gallery.

3. Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital in Tacoma hosts an artist reception for local artist Sandra Offutt and some of the Metropolitan Vet team, which will include raffle prizes, from 5-7 p.m.

4. Olympia Timberland Library presents "Celebration of the Species," four Wednesday evening events in April featuring presentations by experts on some of the wild animals that live among us, often in our own backyards or just over the fence. At 7:30 p.m., author and citizen scientist Maria Mudd Ruth discusses "The Marbled Murrelet.

5. Pink Martini's blend of American swing, Latin rhythms and chamber arrangements, along with vocals in five languages, give the group's largely original material mass appeal - meaning the audiences consist of people who normally don't sit next to each other. Thomas Lauderdale of Portland, Oregon, founded the "little orchestra" Pink Martini in 1994. It has gone on to become a genre unto itself. We adore the band's cosmopolitan mix of Disneyfied Latin rhythms, cabaret Orientalia and Arabic tunes kissed with carnival atmospherics and ragtime horns. Catch the band with the von Trapp Family Singers at 7:30 p.m. in the Washington Center.

LINK: Wednesday, April 16 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Pasties and butt cheeks and hip-hop Toto, oh my!

The setup

Expect all three - and more titillating fun - in The Gritty City Sirens' Adventures in Oz, a Wizard of Oz-inspired burlesque production at the Temple Theater Ballroom Saturday, April 19.

I caught a full dress run of Tacoma's burlesque troupe's largest production to date Sunday afternoon. Sadness leaving the sunshine for a dark theater soon disappeared.

This Tacoma makeover of L. Frank Baum's classic may be campy, but it still follows the famous Dorothy down the Yellow Brick Road where she hooks up with the tie-wearing Scarecrow, sexy Tin Man and the fur-donning Cowardly Lion and gains enough confidence as a showgirl to defeat the Wicked Witch of the West. Along the way, there are some eye-popping burlesque, pole dancing, dance numbers and zaniness by the likes of Lusty Zins, Bettie Klondike, Rosie Cheex as Glinda, Heather Hostility as the Wicked Witch, Ava D Jor as the Cowardly Lion and Polly Pucker Up as Dorothy. Toto, in this scenario, takes the form of a hip-hop bboy. The production is necessarily short on suspense, since you know it so well, but delivers with a strong theatrical impact, inventive soundtrack, remarkable performances and hilarious moments.

The one-night only performance benefits the Carol Milgard Breast Center.

The Road

My Yellow Brick Road experience was the troupe's final dress rehearsal, and I kept one foot in such. Often the action would halt on the road, with new instructions or a quick brainstorm session. Also, it would be a shame to spoil the gags and one-liners, so I won't.

The show opens with Tacoma singer-songwriter Heidi "Bunny Holiday" Stoermer and accordionist Tony Hanson setting the stage for a night of wonderful music.

"Yes, we thought ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow' was kind of a no-brainer, so we auditioned with that one and the second song, ‘Until the Real Thing Comes Along.' Toby and I couldn't settle on a closing number, so we composed the final song just for the show," says Stoermer. It works.

Hattie Hotpants from TUSH burlesque in Olympia plays the Great and Powerful Mistress of Oz. The emcee for the Olympia burlesque troupe, Hotpants keeps the laughs and flow rolling in this show. She's quick, and it pays off when there's a Munchkin mishap or skin exposed.

The story basically follows the original Oz, except the story opens with Dorothy receiving a makeover, saddled by her faithful, hip-hop dog Toto, played by Tacoma's favorite gallery owner/DJ.

Since a windstorm would ruin the inventive costumes, Noelle Wood, owner of Tacoma's pole dance school Poledello, and her equally amazing student who is "the calm before the storm", whips up the tornado around a pole. The entire cast of 26 gets swept up in the whirlwind, which includes a little Daft Punk circling about.

You know what happens when Dorothy and Toto land in another land, the Lollipop Guild busts out moves to a club beat, the Lullaby league toss hula hoops and Glinda the Good Witch of the North takes it all to the music of Willie Dixon.

Sure enough, the Scarecrow takes off her rags, the Tin Man sheds the metal and the Cowardly Lion - receiving big laughs - disrobes the fur.

No one will sleep during the dance of the Poppies.

And ... then ... there are the monkeys. If you know Tacoma music and ballet, you'll instantly recognize these three zany characters who provide non-stop energy and laughs.

Music from Queens of the Stone Age, Goldfrapp, N.E.R.D., Louis Prima and others mix with snippets of the original Oz soundtrack, and the Wicked Witch of the West stripping to music by the Voodoo Organist is brilliant.

Yes, even sweet little Dorothy hurls her clothing to Toto offstage. 

I've said too much. I'll probably have to face the wrath of those freakin' monkeys.

The Verdict

In all, it will be an excellent night of twirling tassels and bawdy jokes. (Insert your own Kansas joke here.)

GRITTY CITY SIRENS' ADVENTURES IN OZ, 7 p.m., Saturday, April 19, Temple Theatre Ballroom, 47 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, $25, Ticketmaster

LINK: More photos of Gritty City Sirens' Adventures in Oz

MONDAY, APRIL 14 2014 >>>

1. Seth Freeman has played the guitar since the age of 4. He has spent time in both the city and the mountains of Arkansas, in the heart of the South in a large, and very musical, family. When you hear Freeman play guitar, you quickly realize these are not the same old licks. At 23, he opened for Jonny Lang, Wes Jeans, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Damon Fowler and Devon Allman. Today, he spends most of his time on the road, gigging with Chris Duarte, Wes Jeans, Damon Fowler, Michael Burks, Lance Lopez and Jeff Lang, when not fronting his own band, which rolls into The Swiss at 8 p.m. for a night of driving blues, Ozark Mountain bluegrass and sweet tender ballads. 

2. In India, couriers called dabbawalas pick up lunch from your home, (lovingly prepared by your significant other or family member), deliver it to your workplace and then retrieve and return your empty lunchbox before the working day is over.In the U.S. you're stuck with a leftover Cup O' Noodles and a bologna sandwich that've been congealing in the office fridge for three hours. Yum. Of course, in a country with more than a billion people, there's bound to be an occasional delivery mix-up. Thus, the stage is set for Ritesh Batra's The Lunchbox, screening at 1:30, 4:10, 6:30 and 8:50 in The Grand Cinema.

3. Sandow Birk is a well-traveled graduate of the Otis/Parson's Art Institute. Frequently developed as expansive, multi-media projects, his artworks have dealt with contemporary life in its entirety. With an emphasis on social issues, frequent themes of his past work have included inner city violence, graffiti, political issues, travel, war, and prisons, as well as surfing and skateboarding. Birk will discuss the "American Qur'an" project, currently on view in the Kittredge Gallery, at 3 p.m.

4. Tacoma singer-songwriter James Coates will perform at 7 p.m. in the Steilacoom Pub and Grill.

5. Le Voyeur Café and Lounge in downtown Olympia hosts an all-ages hip-hop show featuring E.B.T., Hufsa, Greggg, F.W.L.T. and Slow Capture at 7 p.m.

LINK: Monday, April 14 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, APRIL 13 2014 >>>

1. Today is the last day to catch the Washington State Spring Fair. While shorter than its late summer edition, is crammed with more attractions than ever. For urbanites who need convincing, here's a handy checklist: Slamfest Demolition Derby, All Alaskan Racing Pigs at Fountain Plaza, Brad's World Reptile Show, Fair Farm, DockDogs, Mindworks! interactive hands-on games, Face painting, Tot Spot, Rainier Rush, Extreme Scream, and more whirling rides, Scones, onion burgers, caramel apples and more. Go ahead: Leave your laptop behind, shimmy into that old pair of Wranglers, pull on those dusty cowboy boots, slap on a 10-gallon hat and prepare to spend yourself a day at this year's wingding.

2. Giacomo Puccini's Madame Butterfly, when performed well, fulfills all of the promise of what opera can be. It is a perfect story of innocent love and betrayal. Cio-Cio-San - Butterfly's Japanese name - is one of the best-developed and most sympathetic characters in the operatic repertoire.  And the music that envelops this touching tale is rich with melody and orchestration. Opera lovers look forward to seeing it time and time again, and many a novice has come to love opera through Butterfly.  Experience Tacoma Opera's version at 2 p.m. in the Pantages Theater.

3. The Tacoma Cult Movie Club celebrates its fifth anniversary with a marathon viewing session featuring releases from Seattle's Something Weird Video - in honor of Mike Vraney, SWV's founder, who passed away Jan. 2 of this year. Beginning at 4 p.m. in the Acme Tavern, expect a potluck (bring food!), raffle prizes and, of course, wacky films. According to host Rev. Colin, the party will last "until they either kick us out or attendance drops off." Either way, TCMC will be staying up way past their usual bedtime.

4. The gang at Harlequin Productions reveals their plans for shows this coming year. And of course it's a party ... with a name ... ECLECTICA! The party will feature live entertainment, cash prize drawings, a wine toss, delicious food and drinks, and of course, the unveiling of Harlequin's 2015 lineup of shows. Harlequin will also be auctioning off items such as ocean-side getaways, dinner/hotel/show packages and a ringside seat at a private performance. Harlequin's improv comedy troupe Something Wicked will be in the house. The $35 event runs 5-8 p.m. in their Historic State Theater.

5. Los Devitos are a surfy garage rock band. They're great. Something about the laid-back vocals (reminiscent of fellow garage rockers the Growlers) and clean guitar lines, mixed with gently woozy psychedelia, is instantly evocative of mumbling heat-struck nonsense on a beach as the sun mercifully sets. This is music that's less for dancing and more for that moment near the end of the party when everyone slumps down into couches, keeping one foot on the ground to slow the spins. Catch the band with No Body and Trout Stream at 7 p.m. in Le Voyeur.

BONUS: Tacoma Community College's Diversity Film Festival kicks off today.

LINK: Sunday, April 13 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SATURDAY, APRIL 12 2014 >>>

1. Some books become excellent films. Take Jaws or The Godfather, for instance. Best-selling novels, both, turned into blockbusters. Some books spawn lousy film versions. Among the entries in this large category are: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the 2001 Planet of the Apes remake, Roberto Benigni's version of Pinocchio, and Myra Breckenridge. Then there are those films that take such an uninhibited leap away from their source material that you never see them coming. It's this latter category which film critic Robert Horton will discuss at Movie Mashup: Wild Literary Adaptations on Film Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. in the Tumwater Timberland Library. Horton says that these kinds of adaptations - The Tempest transformed into Forbidden Planet; Homer's Odyssey reimagined by the Coen Brothers as O Brother Where Art Thou - can show us something new, illuminating the original, even when we don't recognize it, and teaching us about being open to the unexpected.

2. A team of horses or a team that plays horse? Which can plow more ground? Find out as Emergency Food Network and Pacific Lutheran University's Men's Basketball Team help prep Mother Earth Farm for this year's growing season from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

3. Moss + Mineral hosts Tacoma artist Michael Kaniecki's "Drawings," an exhibition of original figure drawings and limited-edition prints that reaffirm the emotional and expressive power of hand drawing in the age of digital manipulation. The bold juxtaposition of nudes and abstraction creates the powerful dynamism of this show. See it from 1-5 p.m.

4. Port Angeles Kayak & Film Festivalscreens a series of short outdoor adventure films that will take viewers from the remote beauty of Bhutan to the thrilling white waters of Quebec to the thick evergreen forests of the Olympic Peninsula, and many places in between from 4:30-7 p.m. at Studio Bob, at 118 ½ Front St. In Port Angeles.

Phobos and Deimos get their name from the two moons of Mars, a suitably grandiose title and concept for a band as dramatic as they are. Taking their cues from dark, crooning, romantic New Wavers like the Cure, the Church, and Echo and the Bunnymen, Phobos and Deimos are the sort of band that would live and die by the credibility of their lead vocalist. If he doesn't pass the smell test, then everything will get very silly, all of a sudden. Fortunately, Hans Burger, as lead singer, brings as much gravitas and tasteful reserve to his role of brooding poet as you could reasonably expect. The rest of the band aren't slouches, either, as they skillfully evoke those days of mascara-smeared and emotionally raw post-punk. Catch them with FLORIDA, masonsapron and Post Adolescence at 8 p.m. in Bob's Java Jive.

LINK: Saturday, April 12 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THURSDAY, APRIL 10 2014 >>>

1. Last year, we sat above the fairgrounds in a wobbly umbrella-covered enclosure, surging over that precarious point in the Ferris wheel where we swore to corn dog we would be pitched over, knocked off balance with our missing partner, and die a horrible death. We didn't, and we will freely admit that yes, we are a ride-wuss (and afraid of heights, to boot!). Even still, there is more to be enjoyed at the Washington State Spring Fair than rides. We also saw the baby animals, which included the sweetest 5-week-old pygmy goats ever, as well as freshly hatched chicks, and adult animals such as a huge male pig, sheep, dancing horses and cattle. Oh, he said herpetology? Whew. See, touch and learn about captive raised turtles, frogs, lizards, snakes and insects from around the world at Brad's Reptile World Show. The four-day Spring Fair  - which opens at 2 p.m. - will include carnival rides, music, food, animal shows, fashion show, monster trucks, pig races, dockdogs and much more.

2. More than 40 downtown Gig Harbor waterfront businesses will be open from 5-8:30 p.m. offering special offers, activities, demonstrations, refreshments and live music at the inaugural Thursday Night Out. A complimentary Thursday Night Out shuttle bus will be on the scene.

3. What Moondog Matinee lack in innovation they make up for in execution. Though their professed influences are a staggering assembly of just about every musical touchstone of the past 50 years (Talking Heads, the Band, Nick Cave, the White Stripes, Arcade Fire, and Edith Piaf [of all people], just to name a fraction of them), it's clear that they mostly take their cues from heavy blues, approached with an admirable widescreen expansiveness. Catch the band with Fox and the Law and Our Burgundy at 7 p.m. in Le Voyeur.

4. Based in Portland, Ore., BodyVox dance group marries dance, athleticism, theatrics and humor. Both complex and refreshingly simple, BodyVox's Reverie is inspired by the impressionist era and builds from an overriding belief in the power of beauty. Check it out at 7:30 p.m. in the Washington Center.

5. Tom Cotter finished second on America's Got Talent in 2012.Cotter lost to a dog act, but don't hold that against him; he was the first comedian ever to be a finalist on the show and was the highest finishing human being on the show that year. Welcome Cotter to the Tacoma Comedy Club at 8 p.m.

LINK: Thursday, April 10 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Theater Artists Olympia, affectionately known as TAO, is taking over The Midnight Sun Performance Space in downtown Olympia. After 11 years of performances on stages from Tacoma to Centralia, the group will have a place to call home.

"We've been a gypsy group this whole time," says Pug Bujeaud, founding member and artistic director for TAO, "so it's both terrifying and exciting. I don't think people realize how much comes with putting on a show. ... But we have a lot of people involved that are really, really excited."

The Midnight Sun has served as a performance space since 1993 and has housed everything from punk rock shows to senior choirs, vaudeville performances to one-woman shows. For the past 10 years, manager and performer Elizabeth Lord has been a strong source of success for The Midnight Sun.

She sums up the passing of the torch by saying, "TAO will be awesome."

Many elements of The Midnight Sun will stay the same, although a new loft and elbow grease have already prettied up the place. But many of the aforementioned shows will continue and renting the Midnight Sun is still an option.

"We're really dedicated to keeping things going at The Midnight Sun," says Bujeaud, "... especially with Capital Playhouse closing, it really needs to be nurtured."

As with any venture, part of the nurturing process includes money. The group has started a fundraiser page, in hopes to get 100 people to donate $10 a month to help take care of rental costs and production fees.

Despite monetary risks and an identity change, Bujeaud has faith this is the right step for TAO.

"We've been a strong unit for 11 years," she says. "We're pretty unified and pretty strong. And we have great taste - as eclectic as it may be."

Chamber Music, an absurdist black comedy set in the year 1939, was the group's first performance as TAO 11 years ago, and will also be the first to grace the stage at their new home. The show runs April 25 to May 10.

CHAMBER MUSIC, 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, also 8 p.m. April 27, 2:30 p.m., May 4, April 25-May 10, The Midnight Sun, 113 Columbia St., NW, Olympia, $12, 360.259.2743

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2014 >>>

1. The exhibition at Museum of Glass by Jen Elek and Jeremy Bert is a colorful and interactive show of glass sculptures combined with about 50 large, refurbished neon letters that visitors can rearrange to their hearts' content. "Look! See?" fills two of the larger galleries in the museum. It's like an interactive children's museum lifted from its site and set down the in the galleries. The day I was there, a large group of children of all age, plus a few adults, were moving the oversized letters around to write their names or make poems or other messages on the floors and the walls. Read Alec Clayton's full review of the show in the Music & Culture section, then take a gander from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

2. Pint Defiance celebrates Centralia's Dick's Brewing Company with a brewer's night 5-7 p.m. Dick's hit the beer scene in 1992, creating ubiquitous ales such as Double Danger and Dick's Cream Stout, among others. The Dick's crew will be in house with their IPA, Brown Ale, Pale Ale, Imperial Stout and Raspberry Triple Belgian Ale.

3. If you could ever wrap the matronly goodness of a mother's kiss, her love a tune of strength, her stories a place for the imagination to leap through the portal of everyday living and into the soundscape of music, riding the waves of Appalachian acoustics and vibrating on the end of a crescendo, then it would be in the soulful arrangements of Joanne Rand at 8 p.m. in the Urban Onion Lounge. Gabriel Wolfchild will open.

4. The Rock n Roll Lodge in Tacoma has a new jam night every Wednesday at 8:30 p.m.

5. RowHouse and Shrews will rock Magoo's Annex at 9:30 p.m.

LINK: Wednesday, April 9 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

MONDAY, APRIL 7 2014 >>>

1. Writing good poetry isn't something that comes naturally to everyone. It's hard to find that "inner voice" without sounding cliché. Maybe there's help: Poetry Matters is a two-session poetry workshop encouraging poets and poetry lovers to share feelings and words in a noncritical atmosphere, led by poet Joanne Clarkson. The inaugural session is at 7 p.m. in the Lakewood Library offering exercises in sound, form, voice, image, memoir and story inspiration from favorite poets using different styles and subjects. Writing prompts and suggestions to keep the muse singing, if you will. April 21 will be the day you share.

2. Perhaps no single substance, save for water, has had the vital impact on humanity that wood has. From the very trees that provide this resource, to myriad man-made uses, we interact with wood on some level every day of our lives. Now, a range of artists interprets the significance of one of nature's most abundant organic materials in The Meaning of Wood, which opens at noon in The Gallery at the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts. 

3. The titanic burger throwdown finale in on! Voting for the 2014 Weekly Volcano Tournament of Burgers Readers' Poll Championship game is live. Online voting will end at 5 p.m. Voting will resume at 6 p.m. live at the Tournament of Burgers Party at Meconi's Tacoma Pub in downtown Tacoma. Ballots will be handed out, which will also serve as raffle tickets. The live vote will close at halftime of the NCAA Men's Tournament final and the South Sound Burger champion will be announced. Join us!

4. Our ears perked up and our stomachs flipped a little when we heard the phrase "ultra cool spy themes." It sounds dangerous and sexy. Blues, that most American of musical forms, will receive a dose of spy music, as well as surf tones, at The Swiss' Monday Blues Night at 8 p.m. Seattle guitarist and singer Chris Stevens will fill the downtown Tacoma watering hole with electric blues lines via a big Gibson archtop. Taking their unusual name from a song title by legendary blues guitarist Freddy King, Stevens' back band, the Surf Monkeys, keep a firm footing in the blues while stretching the boundaries with "ultra cool spy themes," reverb drenched surf twang and Chris' own "blues on the edge of jazz" originals.

5. Jazzbones has amped up its weekly live band karaoke. Every Monday at 9 p.m. for the next four weeks it's hosting a singing contest with the grand prize being two nights and flight to Las Vegas. Jazzbones will choose three finalists from each night to compete in the finals. The competition will be judged by the applause-o-meter.

LINK: Monday, April 7 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area